


This Reminds Me of When We Were Young

by makemelovely



Category: Hart of Dixie
Genre: Adultery, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Memories, POV Multiple, POV Third Person
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-14 08:59:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11779776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makemelovely/pseuds/makemelovely
Summary: Before George and Lemon started dating and became Bluebells Golden Couple, Lemon dated someone else. Wade Kinsella. In high school at the ripe young age of fifteen the unlikely couple were very much in love. And then it ended. Nobody knows what happened but something never changed. Lemon and Wade are still very much in love with each other, even if one of them isn't aware of it.





	This Reminds Me of When We Were Young

**Author's Note:**

> title from When We Were Young by Adele

Lemon's hands are shaking when she enters the Rammer Jammer and she mentally calms herself. She can't be panicking because she is going to have a calm, delightful meeting with her friends. So she mustered up the restraint to move along from Lavon's sad brown eyes outside the Rammer Jammer. As Lemon sits down wordlessly Annabeth Nass laughs nervously and lets her sentence trail off. "So, what are y'all talking about?" Lemon asked, settling herself in her seat.

"Sophmore year. Homecoming weeking." Annabeth is grinning, her eyes flickering with hazy memories of that particular Homecoming weekend. "Wasn't that the most fun?" She gushes, a glint of happiness in her eyes.

"Suppose I don't remember." Lemon's voice is cold and her fingers feel numb. Lemon lets a soft almost laugh flutter from her lips and she moves again, antsy with the lack of something to do. It's not quite a lie, she's sure she'd remember if she really thought about it but the trouble was she couldn't quite make  
Annabeth looks surprised and suspicious. "Don't remember?" She asks, surprise leaking from her tone. "You almost burned down the football stadium." Annabeth reminds her, and Lemon's memory twitches to life. It's mostly just a fragment that she can't quite grasp because the only image floating in her mind is brown eyes that look desperate. The other girls at the table laugh, smiling to themselves as they reminisce.

"That was a long time ago." Lemon says, her fingers twitching with the urge to wack Annabeth upside the head. "Might as well have been a different person." Well, yeah, Lemon thinks. One that was dating Wade Kinsella.

Silence falls for a moment as Lemon finishes her sentence. The silence is awkward, nobody quite sure what to say to Lemon's clear dismissal of the topic.

Annabeth stars up the conversation again, clasping her hands together as she talks. "So what time is everyone going over to Lavon's tomorrow night?" Annabeth asks, unknowingly causing Lemon's heart to skip a beat. Due to panic, of course. And alarm.

Lemon takes a deep breath and constructs her answer. She's expected to be the first person to answer. "Well, I'm afraid that George and I won't be attending the party." Lemon explains, looking Annabeth in the eyes. "My poor fiancé is still hobbling around on crutches thanks to that terrible crossbow incident, and I just don't feel right leaving him all by himself." Lemon continues, turning to look at the other people sitting at their table. It could be a potential feeble excuse if George decides he wants to go to Lavon's in support of his friend. It's awfully strange that he and George have become such good friends. It's a shame and it's honestly terrifying because Lavon could say anything at any time.

"You are such a good person, Lemon." Annabeth's eyes are sparkling with happiness and her smile has widened. It makes Lemon's stomach surge with a quick grip of guilt but just as quickly it disappears.

Lemon nods emphatically. "Well, I try. I do." Lemon says solemnly. Lemon then raises her hand, snapping her fingers three times. "Wade," She calls, ignoring the rush of nostalgia that hits her at the sight of him. It must be all the talk about homecoming. That was always their favorite thing to do together considering he was a football player and she was a cheerleader. "Mimosa." Her voice is harsh and sharp and she can practically feel the rolling of his eyes.

"Not a waiter, Lemon; bartender." Wade's lips are curling up at the edges but that could either be in amusement or annoyance. Lemon used to be able to read him like the back of her hand but now. Now he's a mystery to her. Funny what time does.

"Thank you." Lemon is pleased, it radiates through her tone. Her own mouth curves up into a genuine, appreciative smile.

 

Wade has been dealing with the damn boxes for seven minutes straight, including the delightful conversation he had with Lemon Breeland who treated him like a dog. It wasn't a very good conversation, Wade knew that Lemon was far more interesting than anybody knew. She had quite a few schemes stuck up in that brain of hers.

The door had opened and the bell rang out followed by the sound of a man's laughter. The sound sent ice down his spine and he stared at the man. "What's happening man?" The guy asked, shaking hands with another fella. Wade's not entirely sure what else the man said, he was too busy coming up with revenge plots in his head. "No way." Wade breathed, his eyes widening as the realization of what he could do sunk in. Wade moved behind the bar and ducked down, simultaneously pulling his phone out and calling the one and only George Tucker.

"Hey Wade." George answered. "Don't tell me you need another divorce already." George joked, casually glancing at his watch.

"Guess who just walked into the Rammer Jammer." Wade stated, ignoring George's joke entirely. Instead of waiting for George to answer Wade continued. "Jimmy Praboo."

George blinked, his eyes widening. He loathed Jimmy Praboo with every fibre of his being. "Jimmy Praboo? Well, get out of town. Are you sure it's him?" George asked, waiting for Wade's confirmation.

"Oh, hundred percent." Wade replied immediately. "I could smell the stench of evil a mile away. Guess you know what this means, don't you?" Wade had been waiting for this moment for years.

"Don't tell me you still have the list." George needed to know. He couldn't get his hopes up for a let down.

"Waitin' in my drawer for the last ten years. Nobody - but nobody - puts heat rub in George Tucker's jock and gets away with it." The thing is that Wade is dead serious. He doesn't really remember being this serious about something except Lemon. Who was waiting for her mimosa like a little princess. But God would it be hot if she was wearing a tiara and nothing else. Wade gulped, his mouth dry at the thought of how much Lemon had developed after all these years. No, that wouldn't do. Wade refused to think like that. He had let Lemon go. Or at least he thought he had.

"Yeah, that was a, uh . . . that was an unfortunate week." George spoke into the phone, cringing.

"So you in?" Wade muttered into the phone, his voice low.

George didn't even pause to think about it. "Hell, yeah. But I'll tell you what - why don't you come over to Lemon's instead? 'Cause she's cooking. There's always way too much food." George offered, glancing at his watch and startling. He had to get going. "How's 7:30 sound for you?" George inquired.

"I'll see you then, Mighty Mouse." Wade answered, using the old code name they had cooked up in middle school.

"Later on, Donkey Kong." George said, grinning.

Wade pulled away from the phone and ended the call, grinning at the idea of revenge after all these years. He would have been on cloud nine had he not remembered that he was going over to Lemon's. Who had been pissed at him for what feels like forever. Damn it, he thought. Of course I'm having dinner at her house after I wondered what she'd look like naked. It'll probably be what he's thinking about all dinner. All though, it wouldn't be such a bad thought. Lemon was gorgeous with her blonde hair and big blue eyes and long, long legs. Wade silently groaned, praying for help from God himself. He was going to die that night, he was sure of it.

Wade did bring Lemon her mimosa. What the princess wanted, the princess got. He was thankful he was turned around when he started smirking. That would've make Lemon flip out. She was awfully paranoid these days.

 

Lemon frowns as she rubs at a spot on the fork, smiling happily with a pleased flush to her cheeks when she gets the spot off. Lemon was setting the fork down when Wade opened his big mouth. "Lemon?" He asked and she could hear the smirk in his voice. He snapped his fingers twice and says, "Another beer." Lemon turns around, glaring at him.

Oh, look, she was right he was smirking. "You snap those fingers at me one more time, Wade, I swear to God I will chop them off that dainty little hand of yours." Lemon's voice doesn't rise and it doesn't betray more than a small annoyance. He was infuriating. It was like they were ten again and he kept yanking on her ponytail all because she didn't like it. Really the only difference is that back then she thought he was cute. Which she doesn't anymore because, duh, she has George.

"Hey, come on, now, y'all. Let's . . . let's try and remember who the real enemy is here." George says, desperately trying to keep them on track. That was probably because they had been sniping at each other all night. All though, if she were being perfectly honest Lemon wasn't sure who they hated so much. After all, fifteen years was a long time to hold a grudge.

"He's not my enemy," Lemon pointed out. "I don't even remember a Jimmy Praboo." Lemon said as she polished the silverware.

"He was three years ahead of us when Wade and I joined the football team, and he took it upon himself to make out lives miserable." George explained. Lemon barely refrained from rolling her eyes. Holding grudges for years was a waste of energy. They should have just did whatever it is they want to do back then. Maybe then he would have stopped. "I mean he would steal our jerseys, he would make us late to practice, and he would put shaving cream in our helmets." That was stupid, Lemon thought. Okay sure it would be humiliating at the time but after those first few minutes of teasing people moved on. If you embarrased someone you needed to make it last with an actual prank that would increase humiliation all day everyday. Those silly little pranks would fade from the halls within hours.

Wade suddenly leaned forward, throwing an arm out to indicate Lemon. "Tell her about the heat rub." He demanded, staring expectantly at George.

George shifted uncomfortably, like he was re-living the memory. George took a deep breath and spoke like he was trying not to remember. "Let's just say that he deserves what is coming to him." Was all George said on that subject matter.

"But who cares?" Lemon asked, smiling fondly at George. "It was a million years ago." Lemon was a little amused.

"Hey." Wade looked at her indignantly. "I care." Wade defended, as George pointed at him with a beer in his hand.

"Yes, of couse you care, Wade, 'cause you're still a child." Lemon's voice is more flat and annoyed then when she spoke to George but she can't help it. Wade brings out the insecure, venemous fifteen year old girl she once was. "But, George, honey, it's beneath you." Or maybe Lemon's voice is flat and annoyed because she's sick of them whining about something that happened fifteen years ago. Lemon knew that you picked yourself up, dusted off your clothes and kept it inside. That's what she did when Wade broke her heart. Or, wait, no he didn't. That never happened, Lemon scolded herself. She swore to herself that she would never bring it up again.

"It is. A little bit." George admits while placing the notepad on the coffee table. "You're right." Lemon doesn't say obviously but she does think it. "But there is a sense of justice being done here, and I am a lawyer, and, Lemon, you do not understand the pain that was . . . There was a burning. It was . . . it was just a . . . it was a burning." Wade had been nodding along with George and now he was leaning forward, dead serious in his following statement.

"Which is why I still say we go with number four." Wade gestured with the pencil in his hand and George glanced down, furrowing his brow as he struggled to decode Wade's hand writing.

"Can't even read this." George thought aloud to himself. "This says, uh, uh . . . 'Fill his locker with tarantulas'?" Lemon doesn't even know how they're going to do this prank with George's lack of pranking ideas without planning literally every second and Wade who had the dumbest ideas Lemon has ever heard. "And you realize he doesn't have a locker anymore." George raises an eyebrow and Lemon continues to fold the cloth lap protectors. She was going to keep silent, even if those idiotic ideas were killing her brain cells.

"So we fill his car with tarantulas." Wade offered enthusiastically.

Lemon mouths oh, my God while pondering if this was the future of Bluebell. She hoped not because that was a sad future.

"Though I guess that would take twice the amount of tarantulas." Wade thought out loud. "I know a guy who can get them on the cheap."

George makes a humming sound that means that dumb idea was being put on a maybe shelf. Lemon could come up with better pranks in her sleep, damn it. Lemon glanced over at George as he said "Okay. What else we got?"

Wade had fallen limp against the couch and now he was sitting straight up, pointing to a number on the notepad. "I still think number six is doable. All we need's a helicopter and a tiny monkey."

Lemon is just glad that George looks as exasperated as she feels. "Oh, for heaven's sake." Lemon grumbles loudly in the quiet room. George groans and rubs his temples roughly, hoping for an idea.

Then it hits him.

"Lemon . . . help us." He asks. It was so clear, how could he not have thought of it before.

"What?" Lemon and Wade ask in unison.

"Excuse me?" Lemon asks, staring at George.

"You are a natural at this, sweetheart, and you know that. And nobody ever pulled off a prank quite like Lemon Breeland. I-I still don't know how you got that cow into Mrs. Gleason's office, but watching her try to lure that thing down the stairs - that was amazing." George says and he's smiling and chuckling a little bit and Wade is laughing, his smile sunny and his teeth white. Lemon isn't going to lie, the flattery is nice. It's been awhile since George has complimented her this thoroughly.

"Okay, for the record, Mrs. Gleason was being terribly unfair about allowing me to retake the vocabulary test. She had it coming." Lemon's a little anxious about defending herself. It was true, Mrs. Gleason did have it coming.

"So does Jimmy Praboo." George said, a small smirk forming on his pink lips.

"No." She says but her lips are forming a small smile in the corners. The boys exchange sly glances and Lemon's heart stutters. They are both going to give her hell if she doesn't say yes. "No." Lemon says once more but the words aren't being taken seriously because she's laughing now. Wade's eyes are bright and Lemon's eyes are locked on them, swallowing quickly because her throat suddenly got dry.

It's a yes and they all knew it.

~

Lemon opens and closes the door, gracefully walking into George's office. "Afternoon, gentlemen." Lemon greets Wade and George, carrying the basket with lunch and canteen with water.

"Hey." Wade mumbles in response, turning to watch Lemon as she sets the basket and canteen on George's desk.

"Who wants tuna fish and who wants and turkey?" Lemon asks, opening the basket with a smile.

"Oh, baby, you didn't have to go through all this trouble." George says. He pretends to look disinterested before he straightens up to look at Lemon. "Turkey's got cheese, though, right?" He checks.

"Of course, sweetheart." Lemon's smile widens as she hands George his turkey sandwich.

"Hey, this is supposed to be a strategizing session, not a pic-" Wade exclaims, frowning. Lemon interrupts his sentence with a quick squirt of hand sanitizer. She doesn't know where his hands have been, after all. His hands are probably dirty and greasy and gross. "a picnic." Wade finishes, narrowing his eyes in disgust as he shakes his hand. Lemon frowns and mirrors his expression, her nose wrinkled in distaste.

Lemon drops the itinerary for homecoming weekend on George's desk and on cue he asks, "What is this?"

"That is the official Bluebell itinerary for homecoming weekend." Lemon informs him as she sets out dishes and utensils. "If you flip to page three, you will see that Jimmy Praboo is officiating the coin toss at the game this Friday night. Now, that is where we want to get him." Lemon explains, smiling brighter. Her plan is going to work and it is going to work well.

"Hey, Lemon?" Wade raises a hand in the air mockingly. "We don't need a location for the prank. We need a prank." Lemon wants to slap him. She's not stupid and if Wade took a second and worked his pea sized brain he might get the direction she's goin in.

Lemon takes a deep breath and launches into her teaching mode. "And the key to pulling off a perfect prank is specificity. I cannot practice proper psychological warfare until I understand the psyche of who I am dealing with." Wade must have been dropped on his head as a baby. You would think he knew enough about her after all these years to know her planning strategy but apparently Lemon was wrong.

"Now she's just makin' up words." Wade grumbled to George.

"If you want my help in destroying Jimmy Praboo, I need to know his Achilles Heel." Lemon glances at George before looking at Wade. He's never been much for Mythology so she should simple it down for him. "His fatal flaw, if you will." Lemon says, waving a hand around in an almost unconscious gesture.

"Jimmy's real vain. He's a real pretty boy type. He never left the locker room without making sure every hair was just so. He used a lot of mousse." George recalled, alternating between looking at Wade and looking at Lemon.

Lemon's lips spread into a pleased smile. "Oh, that is perfect." This prank was coming full circle.

"What is perfect?" Wade asked, agitated that he wasn't on the same loop that they apparently were.

"Boys," Lemon leaned down, her voice hushed. "I'm gonna need some Fun Sip. Blue raspberry." Lemon's eyes were bright with the enjoyment of planning out the perfect prank.

Wade and George looked at each other, Wade in confusion and George with a pleased smirk.

~

"Okay they are all sugar free. Just like you asked." George muttered as he poured some of the fun syrup out onto the table. Wade frowned, annoyed as they continued to talk as if he were just their quirky, stupid sidekick.

"Okay. And you got the wrench?" Lemon asked Wade.

"You know, I'm a little sick and tired of being treated like an underling in this operation." He complained as he handed Lemon the wrench and watched as she began fiddling with a hose. "Y'all wouldn't even know Jimmy was in town if it wasn't for me. As of yet, I don't have reason to believe, Lemon, that your ideas are better than, say mi-" Wade was saying when Lemon finished with the hose and turned on the water. Blue water surged out and doused the formerly white t-shirt blue in seconds flat. The spray was so powerful that Lemon lost control for a second and tilted to the side. Wade narrowly avoided the water by falling sideways to get away from it. "Whoa!" He exclaimed as he fell.

Lemon started laughing as she turned the water off and George looked at Wade with a smile. "Cool!" Wade's lips stretched into a grin that was relaxed and energetic all at the same time.

"Oh, that is more than cool." Lemon spoke up as she shook her hands to rid them of water. "It's effective. If I were to turn that hose on you right now, it'd stain your skin bright blue!" Lemon's laughter was infectious and Wade wanted to tell her she was right but that would be like admitting defeat. 

"You are freaking amazing." George murmured as he hugged her. But Lemon wasn't looking at him. She was still staring at Wade, her cheeks faintly pink and her eyes overly bright. It was like she couldn't look away from him and vise versa.

George kissed her cheek as Wade started to talk. "I'll admit it's got style, but I still don't see how we're supposed to smuggle a garden hose in a football stadium full of people without getting caught." Wade said logically.

"Oh, sweet, simple Wade, your mama must've dropped you on your head as a child." Lemon said, her voice sugary sweet and full of condescension. Wade glanced away as she began to giggle while George swayed them back and forth. Lemon broke away and straightened up, slipping into role of general like not time had passed and they were sixteen again. "Here's how it's gonna go down, soldiers. Tonight," Lemon began moving towards Wade. "while Jimmy's out to dinner with his Nana Betsy, we are going to break into his hotel room and fill the showerhead with the powder." She paused for a moment in front of Wade before making her way back towards George. "After dinner, he'll come back to change. He's a pretty boy, right?" Without waiting for the confirmation of something she knew she charged ahead. "There's no way that he'll go straight from dinner with Nana to Lavon's party without a quick shower. Two seconds under that spray, and he will be blue as a Smurf for the whole weekend!" Lemon finished in a commanding tone, stopping her pacing so she was standing beside George.

"And he'll stay home." Wade replied, getting to his feet. "Game over." He challenged, moving closer to Lemon.

"Oh, he will opt out of Lavon's for sure. But he can't miss the game. After all he is officiating the coin toss." Lemon smiled. "He has to be there."

But in that moment, with that spark in Lemon's eyes and that smile playing on her lips, Wade wanted to kiss her. He wanted to put his hands on her hips and pull her over to him and kiss her so thoroughly she was never the same. And he wanted her to want it just as badly. 

Instead he did the next best thing. "She's back, ladies and gentlemen!" He shouted, scooping her up and tossing her over his shoulder. He spun them around, grinning like mad as she laughed and told him to stop. "Lemon Breeland is back!" He liked holding her, liked the warmth that he always associated with Lemon. She always been warm to him which was why when they were together he held her so much. Some probably thought it was a possessive gesture but it wasn't like that.

"Wait! Wait a second." She said as she laughed. She felt slightly dizzy from the spinning but her heart was beating like mad. It was pounding against her ribcage and she remembered why she fell in love with Wade Kinsella. He was so much fun to be with.

"Okay, all right, all right." Wade had set her down on her feet for a second to give her a slight reprieve before scooping her back up. "Oh, baby!" He hollered, spinning again.

Lemon was laughing when she said, "Quick, quick put me down." He set her down and she stumbled back, light headed. "Oh, my God." She managed to get out through her laughter. She leaned against Wade, slouching against his body as he put his arm around her and pulled her closer.

To avoid suspicious he did the same to George but he held him a little farther away. The only person he really wanted by his side was Lemon.

~

A few hours later the trio saw Jimmy go into his hotel room. Snickering to themselves they leaned against the door and listened to the water turning on. "Here comes the scream." Lemon glanced at Wade, her eyes sparkling with joy. Her lips were spread into a wide smile and Wade wanted to ruin her red lip stick. Sure enough what followed was a scream. Lemon, George, and Wade began cackling and backed away from the door. "That's what I call a successful prank." Lemon smiled, her face glowing with pride. Wade really wanted to ruin her red lip stick.

"How about a drink to celebrate?" Wade offered, glancing at George who nodded.

"I'm in." George grinned, casually slinging an arm around Lemon's shoulder and pulling her closer. Wade kind of wanted to punch him. "Lemon?" George asked, pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek.

Lemon blinked once before meeting Wade's eyes. Interesting enough her cheeks became light pink and she nodded. "All right but I will not drink cheap, generic beer." Lemon said seriously, her eyes never leaving Wade's eyes.

"I would never do that to you, Lemon darling." It was supposed to come out in a sarcastic tone, like a joke. Instead it came out painfully sincere. It would have been pathetic had Lemon's smile grew softer and sweeter. Her eyes were shining with emotion that Wade hadn't seen directed at him since high school. It could have been a step forward in their friendship if George hadn't been there looking uncomfortable.

George cleared his throat before pointedly bringing Lemon closer. "Let's go." George muttered, glancing sideways at Wade before starting to leave.

"Meet you there?" Lemon tossed over her shoulder at Wade, a hopeful expression lingering on her face.

"Meet you there." Wade confirmed, smirking at her and loping towards his truck.

Wade got there first. It was probably because George and Lemon were arguing in the car about the weird moment Lemon and Wade had. He went in and got some beer and whiskey out for him and George and some white wine spritzer for Lemon and a shot of tequila he was sure he could convince her to take.

Lemon breezed through the door, an annoyed look on her face. She sat down at the bar and downed the tequila shot without a second thought. "Another one, bartender." Lemon smiled at him to reassure that he was joking.

"Sure. Where's George?" Wade asked, sipping his beer with a raised eyebrow.

Lemon rolled her eyes and grabbed the glass of wine and leaned her head back, tilting the drink to her mouth and drinking it in one gulp. Wade licked his dry lips at the sight of her slender throat as she drank. "He's a tad upset. Somethin' about how we were flirting and that was wrong." Lemon explained and Wade sat a shot of tequila in front of her which she promptly took.

"Sorry bout that." Wade apologized, scratching the back of his neck.

"Why?" Lemon glanced at him, blue eyes wide. "You didn't do anything." At Wade's disbelieving look she tacked on another sentence. "Not much, anyway."

Wade shook his head, chuckling softly. "Tell George I didn't mean anything by it. Just being me, I suppose." Wade missed the disappointed look in her eyes.

"Oh." Lemon mumbled before reaching over and taking a swallow of whiskey. "Do you remember," Lemon started suddenly. "that time we got caught kissing under the bleachers when we were supposed to be in math class?" She asked, tugging at her black sleeve almost nervously.

"Speak for yourself. I was supposed to be in science class." Wade smiled at her, his lips twitching with partially forgotten memories suddenly remembered. "That was a good day. You left a hickey on my neck and everybody knew it was you." He laughed at the way her cheeks flushed red.

"Yeah, well, lots of girls were pining for you. I wanted to leave my mark." Lemon blushed, fidgeting in her seat.

Wade's smile faded into a softer one. "I only ever looked at you. You were the only one worth looking at." Wade met Lemon's eyes and her eyes widened. She swallowed harshly, her eyes never leaving Wade's.

Suddenly she pushed away, clearing her throat. "I really must be leaving. Big day tomorrow." Lemon avoided looking at him but then she stopped and smiled at him. "Thank you, Wade."

"Any time, Lemon." Wade murmured. He wasn't quite sure why he was so disappointed when she left. It wasn't a good feeling.


End file.
